1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus such as a photocopier, word processor, personal computer, facsimile machine and, more particularly, to a recording apparatus responsible to various recording media.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional recording apparatus of this type is typically structured as shown in FIG. 29. That is, a body forming an outer housing of the recording apparatus is constituted of a lower casing 120, an upper casing 121, an access cover 122, a delivery tray unit, and a printer unit 130 contained in the outer housing members.
The delivery tray unit (in some cases, hereinafter referred to as “delivery tray”) is constituted of two members: a rotary tray 126 and a base tray 127, and a rotary shaft 126a and a bearing 127a are formed at each end and fitted to each other to hold the rotary tray 126 to the base tray rotatably. Meanwhile, an attachment 127b is formed at the other end of the base tray 127 and is engaged with an engagement portion 120a formed at the lower casing 120. With these structures, recording media 133 (hereinafter, referred to as “sheets”) delivered from the printer unit 130 are stacked, as shown in FIG. 31, on a sheet stacking surface formed on a delivery tray unit.
The rate of the sheets delivered from the printer unit 130 (hereinafter referred to as “delivery rate” in some cases) is very fast to increase the printing rate, so that the sheets may drop off forwardly from the sheet stacking surface. Moreover, because the printing rate is fast, a subsequent sheet may be stacked where ink on the previously recorded sheet is not dried yet. Therefore, recording defects may occur frequently such that the sheets may be messed with the ink and that the recordings on the previous sheet may be worn out.
To solve those problems, the rotary tray 126 and the base tray 127 are made in special forms. That is, the apex of the rotary tray is in an arc shape whereas a part of the base tray is in an arc shape, and thereby, the delivered sheets are held as curving. Where the sheets are held as curving, not only messing with ink due to delivery of the subsequent sheets but also dropping of the sheets from the delivery tray caused by high rate delivery operation, is prevented. It is ordinary, when the recording apparatus is not used, that the rotary tray 126 is moved pivotally to come in contact with the housing front and to be held substantially upright or that the base tray 127 is removed from the lower casing 120 to preserve the delivery tray unit at other locations.
With the conventional art, however, it is ordinary, when the recording apparatus is not used, that the rotary tray 126 is moved pivotally to come in contact with the apparatus body front and to be held substantially upright or that the rotary tray 126 is removed from the lower casing 120 to be preserved at other locations. Thus, there raise the following problems.
The designed appearance is not favorable because a resort that the rotary tray 126 is held substantially upright is taken while the apparatus is not used. Particularly, since the front end shape of the rotary tray 126 is in the large arc shape to solve the above recording defects, it is hard to produce unity feeling between the apparatus body and the rotary tray 126 in an aspect of the appearance.
In a meantime, where the delivery tray unit is contained in the housing, because the front end is in the arc shape, the apparatus height is increased, and such a unit therefore obstructs designing toward a compacter apparatus size.
The appearance is not favorable since the internal structure including the printer unit can be seen largely where the housing front opening is structured to widely open if the delivery tray unit is removed from the apparatus body while the recording apparatus is not in use. Foreign objects such as dust may enter from the opening, so that such a circumstance is not favorable for the printer unit. Where the delivery tray unit is detached from the delivery tray unit, the operator may lose the delivery tray unit inadvertently.